Clint Warren, while researching Lakeland climbing history, came
across this marvelous informal bouldering diagram to the famous Y-Boulder
at Wasdale Head. He conveyed the information to Michael Cocker, who sent it to me It appears in the Wastwater Hotel Visitors
Book, dated 18 April 1898.
The text was written by Aleister
Crowley,
and the drawing done by L. A.
Legros.

Cocker
writes, "Eckenstein
was also staying at the hotel and it was
the occasion when Crowley and Eckenstein first became acquainted. . . .
The Visitors' Book records that Crowley stayed at the hotel from 14th
March to 18th April. Eckenstein from 1st to 29th April, and Legros from
7th to 20th April. It is odd Crowley chose to write this in the
Visitors'
Book and not in the hotel Climbing Book, which had been functioning
since 1890 and in which he had previously placed entries. I think the
reason he may have put this in the Visitors' Book is, that at the time,
practise climbs on boulders would not have been considered proper
climbs and therefore not appropriate for the Climbing Book. This is the
first reference to the Y-boulder and, although it is possible that
others had played about on it before, it seems likely that it was this
Easter that its real potential was discovered, with Eckenstein,
Crowley, and possibly Legros playing a major role. Joseph Collier was
also there (6th to 11th April) so this may well have been the occasion
when he made his feet-first/upside-down ascent which is recorded as
number 22."

And, in a later communication, "As far as Wasdale is concerned the inclination to practise on boulders and
other apparatus appears to have been something that arose spontaneously in the
mid 1890s. The discovery and documentation of the Y boulder occurring only a
year or so after climbers had started using the billiard room, hall, landing and
stairs of the hotel and the barn wall outside to work out a variety of acrobatic
and gymnastic problems. The hotel proprietor, is seems, was very tolerant and
there are a number of amusing anecdotes, some undoubtedly apocryphal, that have
survived from this period."

Lucien Alphonse Legros
(1865-1933), the son of the famous artist, Alphonse Legros, was a
mechanical engineer who wrote extensively about type-setting and type
formats, as well as automobile construction.

1. The Easy Way.2. The
Right Slab. You may not use the edges.3.
do. You may not use the slab for
handhold.4. The
South Arete. One leg each side all the way.5. The
Overhung Arete.6. The
Left Crack. You must not use the jammed stone.7.
do. You must not use the left branch of
the Y for handholds.8.
do. Finishing to the right of the j.s. (jammed
stone)8a. Between the
cracks. Doubtful if this has been done fairly.9. The
Right Crack.10. do.
Not using the Left Crack.11. The
Left Undercut. Not using the Right Crack.12. The
Right Undercut. Keeping (?) the edge.13. The
North Corner on the face.14.
do. in (?) the corner.15. The
Steeple Ridge from the NE.16.
do. N. end.17.
do. W. end.18. The
Left Slab.19.
do. Not using the edge.20. The
Easy Crack.21. The
Middle Slab.22. The
Easy Way. Feet first. Face inwards.

Eighteen Years Later . . . Another
Early Bouldering Guide . . .

Another
bouldering
guide was published in 1916 in the journal of
the Fell
& Rock Climbing Club
of the English
Lake District. Written by J. P. Rogers and entitled "Boulder Valley",
it describes a number of problems in the Low Water area of Coniston.
And, yes, the word problem
appears in the text, as it does in previous literature about the area
describing the efforts of the small group of climbers who founded rock
climbing as a distinct sport in the period 1880-1900. "Problem",
originally, was as likely to refer to a 100 foot pitch as a
15 foot boulder.

As an example demonstrating the flavor of the
BV
article, here's a quote concerning a boulder called the Pyramid: "The
northeast corner requires good balance and some care when making the
foot change at the commencement, while the south end bears a somewhat
evil reputation for difficulty. C. Grayson is reputed to have made it
'go', but the writer has not seen anyone do it, although the route is
scratched in places."

LowWater Coniston ca 1910 (?)
Photo: Courtesy F&RCC

And, here, the author describes the Overhang
on the
Puddingstone: "The
Overhang is a pure gymnastic stunt and consists in jumping for a
projecting rock 8'6" from the ground and swinging up until it is under
one's left armpit. Then with a sloping right foothold to assist, it is
possible to draw one's-self up by means of a right handhold until a
knee can be placed on the tongue. From here the rest is easy." The author concludes with the following
admonition: ". . . in
spite
of their comparative proximity to the ground, on the majority of the
courses described, a rope is essential."

[ Note:
The problem of discerning the origins of bouldering is complicated by
the difficulty of separating what we now think
of as bouldering (that is, if you agree there is such a common
definition!) from the tradition of practice climbing
, particularly toprope work. As a matter of fact,
when I first formulated my ideas about bouldering, in the mid 1950s, I
didn't exclude toproping, instead interpreted "bouldering problems" as moves or short sequences, usually
of greater difficulty than that found on existing traditional roped
climbs, done close to the ground frequently without a rope,
generally having a dynamic component, and requiring some special
strength or technique normally not seen on longer climbs.
Sport climbing, of course, didn't exist then in America, and wouldn't
for another twenty years.]